人们新诊断出哮喘的人问

“Asthma is a chronic illness that affects the lungs and the tubes that go to your lungs,” says Payel Gupta, M.D., a New York City-based spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “When people have asthma, they can have inflammation or swelling in their airways, and the muscles in the airways are more sensitive and tighten because of different triggers like allergies, cold air, exercise, or even stress.” All of this leads to symptoms like difficulty breathing, coughing , wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

现实是医生并不完全确定。但由于对过敏的基因和环境因素的混合，他们相信一些人更容易发生哮喘，超重，暴露于有害化学品，污染和香烟烟雾。And then there’s a little theory called the hygiene hypothesis which posits that because kids’ environments are so clean, they don’t get the necessary exposure to bacteria early in life that can help bolster their immune systems to fight off allergens that then lead to asthma.

The most common symptoms of asthma are difficulty breathing, coughing that can get worse at night or early morning, wheezing, a squeaky, whistling sound that comes out when you breathe out, shortness of breath (this can feel like you can’t breathe deeply or catch your breath, or like you’re out of shape and always tired), and chest tightness—like someone is sitting on your chest. But the tricky thing about asthma is your symptoms may not always be the same or can change over time.

Say hello to triggers. “When you are exposed to an allergen trigger, you can get an asthma attack or worsen your asthma symptoms,” says Kevin McGrath, M.D., an asthma specialist in Wethersford, CT. Examples of common triggers are high amounts of pollen and molds in the spring and fall, dust mites, and pet dander, even weather changes like strong winds, storms, sudden temperature changes, or poor air quality, says Dr. McGrath. “Sinus infections, a cold, the flu, or even acid reflux can cause your asthma to flare,” he says.

如果没有治疗，是的。“未经治疗的哮喘可能导致支气管的永久性缩小，这与慢性阻塞性肺病类似，”麦格拉特博士说。在日常的基础上，哮喘的夜间咳嗽，喘息和呼吸急促可能会扰乱你睡个好觉的能力。此外，“患有不受控制的哮喘的患者通常由于氧气减少而醒来，”他说。好消息：有有效的药物可以在控制中保持哮喘症状。

不幸的是，哮喘是一种慢性病，这意味着它不会消失。据Gupta博士说，截至目前没有治愈 - 所以它会留下来生命。尽管如此，这不是所有的厄运和忧郁：“你的医生可以确保它被控制，以便感觉就像它走了，”她说。“如果我们能够在正确的疗法中获得某人，那么他们的生活质量将会很大，所以频繁的镜阵与你的哮喘专家都很重要，以保持肺部健康。”

There are three main types of meds used to treat asthma, Dr. McGrath says. “Controller medications, such as Flovent, Asmanex, Pulmicort, and Arnuity are important because they help prevent asthma attacks,” he exaplins. “When used properly, your airways become less inflamed, mucus is decreased, and muscle tightening is reduced, which makes your airways less likely to react to a trigger.” Quick relief or rescue inhalers use drugs like albuterol to help the muscles around the airway to relax.

“请注意，如果您每周使用超过两到三次的救援吸入器或每月醒来超过两次，则哮喘不受欢迎。”对于更严重的哮喘，您的医生可能推荐哮喘吸入器，这是一种长效的β拮抗剂和吸入类固醇的组合，例如Br​​eo，Symbicort，Dulera和Advair。这些药物通常用于更难以控制的条件，例如中度持续和严重持续的哮喘。

McGrath博士建议在热水中每周一次洗涤床单和毯子或毯子，每三到四周，使用无味的染料洗衣洗涤剂和织物柔软剂。在将它们放回床之前，请确保床单非常干燥。麦格拉特博士说：“干燥器里有10分钟可以帮助床单和20分钟来分解过敏原。”“我还建议停止使用烘干机，插入气味漫射器，以及有气味的喷雾，因为研究表明这些也可以引发过敏和哮喘症状，”他说。

McGrath博士说，它可能听起来很愚蠢但保留日志也可以帮助您识别烟雾，宠物，花粉和霉菌等哮喘触发器，这可以加剧哮喘。而且，虽然可能似乎是违反直观的，但进入常规锻炼也可以提供帮助。麦格拉特博士说：“锻炼可以帮助拉伸肺纤维，这有助于将气流提高到肺部，这将提高哮喘，”麦格拉特博士说。“管理触发器的最佳方式是看到一个可以找到的董事会认证过敏师（过敏和哮喘专家）ACAAI.ORG。